21 comments:

So I picked out a few questions and answered them with random thoughts below…excited to be a part of this group and to get to know everyone!

2. Is quitting right or wrong? How do you feel about quitting?

I felt the same way you did on this one, Jeremy. All my life I’ve been told not to quit, to always keep fighting. Once I was introduced to CrossFit, this was even more pronounced. I took the “no quitting” approach to all areas of life. I do though, realize that quitting certain activities, bad habits, relationships and business decisions can be of great value and this book reinforced that. Since time is a limited asset, we must focus our energy on pushing through to be the “best in the world”. What I wasn’t aware of was quitting things that you may be good at but are not worth your time and effort – those are harder to identify and ultimately leave behind in my opinion.

6. What does it look like to lean into a dip?

To lean into a dip simply means to push through, change the rules of the game and embrace the dip. You are not running away from it, you are not letting it change your thoughts and feelings about becoming the best. To me this translates into “embracing the suck”, embrace and attack the dip to come out on the other end in a better state than before. I also truly believe in enjoying the “now” and being fully engaged in the experience of leaning into the deep, testing its depths and limits with awareness and gratitude.

7. What is a real dip you have right now?

A real dip is my young Coaching career and my pursuit to gain as much experience, learn from as many mentors, step out of my comfort zone and invest my time and energy wisely to make it a career for myself.

8. Can we really know if we are on a cliff?

The dangers of the cliff are that there are continual improvements – so how do you know you are in one? Not going to lie, this one scares me. I think you would need to take a very sincere and macro look at your situation to notice a cliff as well as have other people in your support system notice it. This one’s tough and I can’t wait to see what others have to say about it.

9. Are you in a cul-de-sac now? Dead end job or no where to grow?

I was in a cul-de-sac until about 6 months ago. An office job with big promises of “moving up” and being challenged that left me drained, uninspired and in an unhealthy state of mind. Once I was freed and quit that responsibility I was able to invest in myself and my dreams despite heavy societal pressure to buckle down and do what everyone else does. I was able to identify a cul-de-sac rather early, and I am a much better person for it.

Overall thoughts:

I re-read several parts of the first 30 pages to make sure I could reflect and apply it to my life.

I’ve always thought that being pretty good at many things was the way to go (Tim Ferris style, jack of all trades) but this book has taught me to look at that differently. Sure, you could be decent at many things, but wouldn’t you rather be the absolute best at one? That got me thinking for a while.

What it comes down to is this: it is so easy to get comfortable and stay the course and just do what you have to do to “get by” or be pretty good.. The people who want to get by represent the 98%. They truly don’t want to be part of the 2% that achieve true greatness...if they did, they’d be there.

Quote that stood out so far: “They settle for less than they are capable of. For good enough instead of best in the world”.

Thanks for getting all of this started Jeremy. I'll steal Tommy's idea and respond to a few questions I felt inspired by. 1. What is the difference between obstacles and problems?

In the context of this book, I think an obstacle is a Dip, and a problem is either a Cliff or a Cul-de-sac. An obstacle is simply a barrier between us and our dreams, and we need to find a way around it. A problem is something we need to avoid and leave behind.

2. Is quitting right or wrong? How do you feel about quitting?

I agree with Jeremy and Tommy. I always thought "quitting" was bad, but I think the book is putting time management into a different context. I think Godin is using the term "quit" to make us realize how serious time management really is. It's not just about making a to-do list and being more organized - we actually need to QUIT those activities that aren't in line with our dreams.

4. Do you want to be the best in the world and what would that take?

This question got me pumped up. I'm sure many of us want to be the best CrossFit box in the world, but imagine all of us working together to make CrossFit the #1 fitness program in the world. It's small groups like this, filled with inspiration, self-improvement, hard work, and passion that are going to get us there. It pumps me up to think about it.

8. Can we really know if we are on a cliff?

I don't know whether to say yes or no to this. But I do have a thought - Even if we do end up falling off a cliff, if we've leaned into enough Dips in our life, wouldn't we have enough tenacity and life-learned lessons to make it back to the top? Thoughts?

Hey Jeremy and my new book club. . .This is Joe Petrusky, owner of CrossFit Love. I never really thought I would be in a book club but It this has the potential to give us all some great insight. Anyway, here are my answers to the questions. I ll try to keep it as concise as possible.

1. Differences between obstacles and problems?First, obstacles typically have a readily recognizable solution. They bear only a slight impact on the overall situation even though they can cause personal annoyance. If the obstacles solution is not worked on it can cause a problem. Now a problem causes other players to be affected. And since it has now surfaced, it needs more people to help solve it and it is a problem. Ex: An inflamed or small tear in your knee is a obstacle versus an a torn acl being a problem.

2. Is quitting right or wrong? How do I feel about quitting?Quitting has its time an place. When there is willingness to re-engage yourself into chasing new passionate goals, I think it is very smart. Ex: I quit my job as a banking executive to refocus myself sights on becoming a strength and conditioning coach. The physical and mental issues that my job was causing was a problem. So I decided to move on to greener pastures. Did I quit, sure. Did I refocus and find a happier, healthier life, YES.

3. What dips have you seen in your past that you might not have been aware of?Apparently, the last two or three years of my life has been a dip. Educating myself through reading, going to constant certifications and seminars, enlisting my time into mentors, staying up all night programming, learning about social media, etc. Tommy said it, it was really about finding the ways to better myself as a coach and entrepreneur.

4. Be the best in the world? Knowing that being the "best" in the world means eating, sleeping, and shitting whatever it is you want. I want to say yes. But I do devote every single second of my life to do this? That is what it takes, yes or no? If yes, then I would say currently no, I have learned that family and life are more important than being the absolute best. Do I want to be amazing at what I do, considered great yes, as for the best, as of now I'd say no. That was hard for me to type but I guess I am currently ok with being chocolate fr the time being.

5. What hard questions are you not asking? I have learned an insane amount of myself, business, and training in the few past years. Surely more than I did in college. I am now a very tough critic of myself and I take all my issues head on. Surely there is something I am not asking myself, just not sure what that is.

6. What does it look like to lean in to the dip? Currently, I really feel like I am leaning into the dip. I have significantly upped my social media game, began pushing my brand online com, and I am also in the process of starting two new blog/sites, and have a brand new garage gym about to open. I am also going to step up these online CrossFit Love Challenges. That's leaning, right?

8. Can we really know if we are on a cliff? I think we can sense it. If your days are always the same and if your not consistently making things happen, you know it. It takes constant improvement to better yourself and your business not to eventually fall off that cliff.

9. Are you in a cul-de-sac now? Dead end job or no where to grow? NO, I am and plan to continuing to kill it everyday. I put being satisfied to sleep and I want more and more everyday. . .

I can not get the question . .Do I want to be on the best in the world, out of my head. It is easy to say yes, but to do so doesn't my whole entire existence have to be about that one thing. Can you have a great family life, enjoy other activities and still say yes? I really want to say yes but what about that .01% who just wants that one thing. And is not worried about those other factors. It is so easy to just say yes, I want to be the best. BUT DO YOU REALLY? Maybe I am being to hard on myself but . . I would really like to hear everyone's opinion on this.

That's a very interesting and tough question man. The book talks about sacrifices to being the best in the world - but how much is too much?

Having been schooled to keep everything in balance, I too have trouble saying that yes I want to be the best in the world no matter what I have to do. I've always believed in balance and time away to re-assess and continue fueling your drive.

Can you imagine being the best in the world, having sacrificed other areas of your life but not being particularly happy? Food for thought.

Hey guys and gals my name is Greg. Just wanted to say thanks Jeremy for starting this book club I look forward to sharing some great ideas with everyone. Anyway, here are some of my answers.

Is quitting right or wrong: I would say yes and no. I think it all depends on what situation you're currently in, I've always hated quitting at anything. When playing sports you're always told to never quit so I took that into real life, literally. But I found in some situations that pig headedness actually hindered me. It was almost a sense of pride to not quit ANYTHING to prove to myself and everyone else that I could do whatever it was I set out to do. Over the years I've learned that quitting is actually a good thing sometimes.

Do I want to be the best in the world and what does it take: I want to be the best in everything I do I really don't see any other reason of starting something. After reading the first couple chapters of this book I understand that I need to actually narrow down my focus on growing my gym. I wanted to be everything to everybody but by being that broad I'd only be OK at everything.

What kind of dip are you in right now:I like what you said Jeremy about we're always in a dip as long as we're striving towards something, especially if you're goal is to be the best, you always have to adapt and grow. My dip right now is getting my gym up and going, growing it to the level I want it to be at. Going above and beyond what my clients are seeking from me and creating an environment that they love to coming to.

Can you really know if you're on a cliff:Sometimes you can feel when you're going the wrong way or doing the wrong thing it just depends. Adding onto what Krista said I believe also that after enough dips and battling through them you should build up enough strength to battle back up to the top, and if you're strong enough that cliff really becomes another dip that you have to get through.

Hey y'all. My name is Tim Dymmel and I'm the owner of CrossFit Palo Alto in California. We just celebrated our 1 year anniversary and are moving for the second time in a year to a bigger box. I look forward to hearing about the rest of the club members and going through this journey to excellence with you.

Thank you to Jeremy for doing this and motivating me to make the time for this.

1 By definition, an obstacle only hinders progress. But doesn’t obstruct/stop it. And problems are merely questions needing a solution. What I like about these is that they can be used as opportunities to grow, advance, change direction. So I see very little difference in the two, other than how they are used in context. The important thing to me is to not allow either one to become an obstruction and halt your process.

2 The book says quitting isn’t wrong and I agree. I was told to stick out that engineering degree so I could do whatever I wanted. But what I wanted wasn’t engineering. So I quit. I’ve quit a lot of things in my life, especially the last few years. So I definitely think it’s a good thing. Even in workouts, I’ve quit. If it’s not “On” that day and a max ain’t happening, get out. Do some skill work. Not up for a planned WOD? don’t start. But this is from a more advanced perspective and not beginners who want to quit just because it's hard.

3 Not real sure. I pretty much knew when it sucked as I went through it.

4 I do want to be the best in the world. And I believe you can have it all, just not all at once. So I understand that being the best in the world will take time and may not happen while I have 3 kids at home. So I will do what I can to be the best I can be right now, work to be better and know that as I mature in my profession, I will become the best in the world. And being the best in the world might just look like this: Others see me as the best in the world and seek me out for knowledge and understanding while I understand that I have a lot to learn and never stop trying to do just that.

5 I’m not too worried about this right now, as any hard question I’m not asking has been asked by my wonderfully smart wife.

6 Leaning in is realizing you’re in a dip, that it’s a dip you need/want to be in and doing what it takes to ride/stick it out.

7 My biggest dip is coaching all 31 classes/week by myself. I’m trying to train some apprentice coaches to start in January, but have to physically survive to that point. Thank God I’m attending the Garage Gym Blueprint next month to help with this process of training/hiring/transitioning.

8 We may not be able to know if we're on a cliff or not. But that may be because we aren't looking ahead or around to know. As soon as you realize it, you better quit! Better now than later. Breaking up is always hard, but it's better than getting divorced. Not that I know. I always broke up first. LOL.

9 I don't believe I'm in a cul-de-sac. If nothing else, if I am, at least I keep paving road and making it longer and longer so I will never reach the end. Yes, I'm using stimulus money to build that road, in case you're wondering. LMAO. Sorry, had to bring some levity to this thing.

2. I was of of mindset that quitting was a to be defeated or to take a loss. The Dip helped me to realize the inacuracy of that. I think of the phrase "lose a battle to win a war." I feel I/we can free ourselves of the tangles of battles that are not worth while to focus on our "war."

3. Learning anything new, and/or getting good at anything meant that you will experience and pass your dip. I feel that in some areas I naturally use the dip to push me. I ahve done this with physical skills. I realize it's been harder for me to apply this to career and business decisions.

5. A hard question I'm not asking myself is "am I doing everything I can to get through my dip?"

6. In the movie the secret, one of the speakers uses teh analogy of driving across country at night. the headlights may only light up 100m in front of you..but that is all you need. I feel the dips are that darkenss. Leaning into it is following that 100m and trusting you will reach teh destination.

7. my 1st dip is my lack of business and marketing. 2nd is my coaching knowledge and experience

9. I was in a cul-de-sac. I quit it (a part time job) which was a comfort zone of a steady paycheck and just enough to keep me afloat. I became aware that it was a dead end and have chosen to take me chances than to stay where I was

The difference between obstacles and problems?I think obstacles are things we face every single day, it’s how we react to these obstacles that determine whether or not they become a problem. For example, I can wake up, get ready to go to workout/work get a flat tire on the way and be set back 2 hours of the day, miss clients, miss my workout, etc. That flat tire becomes a problem when I am pissy the rest of the day; I don’t reschedule another time for my workout, I perceive that my whole day is now blown because of a small obstacle of a flat tire.Business wise - an obstacle for my husband and I at the moment would be not having as much working capital as we would like at times. Yes, this could be a major problem for some, but this is when we really look at our budget...what things can the gym live without for the next few weeks until business picks back up? This obstacle can become an ugly problem if we just expect that it’s going to be slow, if we settle for not getting new members in the door everyday, etc.I think we create our own obstacles into problems when we don’t take the time to breathe, evaluate, and find a way to get around the obstacle.

2. Is quitting right or wrong? How do you feel about quitting?I like that Godin says “winners quit all the time. They just quit the right stuff at the right time” Wow, I’ve never really looked at it that way. I feel like my vision of a champion, a winner, is someone who presses through the pain and perseveres through whatever comes their way. I’ve never thought of myself as a quitter, I like to think that I have different stages of interest at different points in my life. I sang in the choir for 10 years and was in the band for 8 years and was really really good at both. I practiced every single day, competed and placed in competitions, and today I still sing (in my car) and no longer play my instrument. Does that make me a quitter? not really. I just have no real interest in it anymore. My original major my freshman year of college was to major in music. Two weeks into the semester and being in the band, I decided one day that I was tired of hanging out with the same kind of people, didn’t really see myself going anywhere realistically with music, so I changed directions. I can’t imagine my life if I would have stuck it out, for the sake of not being a quitter.

3. What dips have you seen in your past that you might not have been aware of?One major dip was going to graduate school. It was very exciting at first, I loved learning and being back in student mode, but it got a lot harder, there were plenty of obstacles in my way but I had already invested so much money, time, effort, that I forced myself to get out of the dip, learned to take school one week at a time, and was thankful when it was over!My husband and I also experienced plenty of dips opening our business. For the most part, I would say he experienced them more than myself because from day 1, I never thought it was going to be fun, I knew it would be a lot of hard work, require a lot financial investments. Honestly, I was probably more of a dip-causer because I was so worried and hesitant about every single thing, while my husband just “leaned into the Dip” and trusted that we would make it through.

4. Do you want to be the best in the world and what would that take?I have a friend who wants to be “one of the best trainers in Austin-a household name” Being a trainer myself, I have never had those aspirations and always wondered if something was wrong with me. I don’t want to be the best in the world, because who is it that is deciding what qualifies as “the best”? Sure, I do want to be the best at certain things, like the best wife I can be for my husband; the best trainer to my own clients - not the entire town of Austin; the best sister, daughter, and one day the best mother my children could ever ask for. I want our gym to be the best in Fredericksburg, maybe even the best Anytime Fitness in Texas, but that would take a few more years and more money. As far as I’m concerned we are the best option for the people in our town and we work hard to build that reputation. Plus, I use the words “best ever” pretty nonchalantly. For example, “this coffee is the best I’ve ever had!” What if I have coffee tomorrow and it’s even better? I don’t like the idea of being the best in the world..maybe I’m just not motivated...JT, thoughts?

6. What does it look like to lean into a dip?Leaning in to a dip looks like pure hell and bliss at the same time. Leaning in to the dip takes guts, courage, and trust that you have made the right decision to lean into it, to overcome, and trust that you will get out of the dip a better person with a hell of a lot more experience.

First, I'd like to echo everyone's thanks to you, Jeremy, for putting this together. It's a great opportunity to learn from all the collective experience in this group.

1. What is the difference between obstacles and problems?I feel that obstacles are there to test your mettle and your willingness to truly follow through with whatever it is you're doing. Problems on the other hand are more of an indicator that something is being done incorrectly and needs fixing. A lull in membership at the outset of starting an affiliate is an obstacle, continuing on month after month and doing nothing to address the continued lull in membership numbers is a problem.2. Is quitting right or wrong? How do you feel about quitting?Like many others, I've always been told that one of the worst things you could do is quit. But the way this book sheds new light on the concept of quitting, I'd have to say that I look at it a little bit differently now. Much like the obstacle vs. problem question, recognizing when to quit can be invaluable when it's necessary to focus on the tasks that will bring you closer to success (powering through obstacles) and quitting the things that divert your energy from successfully completing those tasks (fixing problems).3. What dips have you seen in your past that you might not have been aware of?When my family and I moved to a new town last year away from an affiliate that had become a part of our family. It was a tough time not having such an integral part of our lives there anymore and having to try to find that sense of CF community again. Looking back now, we've pushed well past that dip and have brought our experience to a fledgling CF box in our area and are excited to be a part of its new growth spurt and future expansion. 4. Do you want to be the best in the world and what would that take?First I'd like to be best in the world in responding to these threads in a more timely fashion. All kidding aside, I definitely want to be the "best in the world" in what our affiliate can offer to our surrounding community. My "world" is my family and gym community. By integrating the two and making our box a place where we can raise our kids and provide an environment where our members can do the same while receiving impeccable training is what it would take to be the best in my "world." We work everyday towards making that more and more of a reality.

5. What hard questions are you not asking? p.15This is a tough one. I'd have to say I look to learn everyday about designing programming that will add the most benefit to our clients. Programming is one of the hardest things to do as a beginning coach. Years of experience have made it a bit easier and provided valuable insight but I'm never going to feel like I've mastered it. But I'll never stop asking the questions that bring me towards understanding that part of it more and more. It will never be approached as an "i" that needs dotting.6. What does it look like to lean into a dip?It looks a lot like me right now. Hopeful for the future but putting my all into the here and now.7. What is a real dip you have right now?I've transitioned from a 9-5 as a graphic designer to full-time coach and there is a great deal of uncertainty that comes with that. That initial feeling of doubt has given way to exhilaration. This taste of freedom has fueled the passion to pursue this feverishly. Books like this give me a new lens through which I can recognize when it's time to push through a dip. 8. Can we really know if we are on a cliff?Yes, I believe we can. I think, much like the example given in the book (p.21), if you're being spoon-fed improvements all the time and never encountering those obstacles that need overcoming in order to forge ahead, then you may be on a cliff. It requires being honest with yourself but it is definitely a recognizable state of being. Much like a smoker knows they need to quit or a type-2 diabetic knows that they need to make some lifestyle changes because the road they're on will ultimately take them over the edge.9. Are you in a cul-de-sac now? Dead end job or no where to grow?Unfortunately yes but it has been identified as such and we're in the process of breaking away from that cull-de-sac and entering into a new phase.